Mt. Kisco Child Care Center Event Provides Tuition for Low-Income Families

A fundraising effort that was launched with humble beginnings 20 years ago, has become one of the most important events of the year for dozens of families with children in and around Mount Kisco.

The Mount Kisco Child Care Center (MKCCC) held its 20^th annual Feed Me Fresh: An Edible Evening last Saturday at Ivanna Farms in Mount Kisco, the single largest fundraiser for the facility’s scholarship program. It accounts for more than one-third of the roughly $500,000 needed in scholarships each year, said MKCCC Board of Directors President Keira Treanor.

Attended by close to 400 community members who spent an enjoyable evening that included a cocktail hour, a dinner with locally sourced foods and ingredients and an auction, the event has a very serious purpose every year. Without that scholarship money, many of the nearly 150 children between three months and 11 years old in day care and programs that serve children before and after school and during the summer would not be able to attend.

“Our mission is to provide high-quality child care for every child in the community regardless of their (family’s) income,” said Dawn Meyerski, MKCCC’s executive director who started out as a teacher at the center. “This is a big job. There is no state or federal funding that supports child care at this time. All the money that comes into the center, comes in from fundraising and private donations.”

This year, MKCCC honored the treasurer of its Board of Directors, Peter Schwarz, a longtime supporter, and 18-year social worker Ruth Goodman. MKCCC is one of the few child care centers that has a dedicated social worker, a position that is crucial for the facility.

Meyerski said since so many of the families need assistance, Goodman is an indispensable member of the MKCCC staff, by making sure that the neediest families get the assistance that is available to them.

Goodman assesses each family’s needs and helps them understand the often-cumbersome process to get the necessary services.

“If there’s anything that I feel is essential, it is that every child be given an equal opportunity to make sure that whatever their potential is, and whatever it is that they are entitled to through our public schools, they are able to access,” Goodman said. “If a child is not given access, it’s not just about being in a safe place and having child care, it’s about getting prepared for public school, it’s about getting prepared for academics, it’s about teaching them to be part of a group.”

Feed Me Fresh was launched by Gretchen Menzies and Meyerski came up with the idea of creating a fundraiser that aligned with the center’s edible education program. They created an event that used locally sourced foods and ingredients that come from small nearby farms. One of the biggest challenges has been gathering enough food to feed a few hundred people.

The fundraiser also attracts local Mount Kisco restaurants whose ownership provides staff and food during the cocktail hour.

But the effort has been more than worth it, Meyerski said.

“We wouldn’t be able to support as many families as we do, and when you walk in, from the diversity of the classrooms, you know we have hit the nail on the head,” she said.

Treanor applauded the community for coming out in such strong numbers to make sure the many families that depend on the center for child care are able to be accommodated.

“Every single one of you is what makes the difference,” Treanor told the crowd. “It’s what allows us to make this night so important, and your continued support of this event and of our center, has made a huge difference and we truly, truly appreciate it.”

Mount Kisco Child Care Center, located at 95 Radio Circle, has partially or fully paid the tuition for countless children through its Scholarship Fund. Last year, MKCCC provided $534,750 in tuition assistance to 120 children.